LM18/AMD APU graphics cards: cannot boot without adding "nomodeset xforcevesa"

[ladyonthemoon]

If you have an AMD or NVIDIA graphics card, you may not be able to boot successfully from the Linux Mint installation DVD or USB stick. Or you may have been able to boot successfully and install Linux Mint, but it won't boot successfully after installation. ...

• Press the 'e' key to edit the boot parameters. Using the cursor keys of your keyboard scroll down to the line that starts with "linux" (red box in the screenshot) and go to the end of that line (red arrow in the screenshot).
• Add the boot parameters "nomodeset xforcevesa" ... Press Ctrl+X or F10 to continue to boot.

This worked for me, thanks!

Well, it works but I must enter nomodeset xforcevesa each time I boot. I suppose there is no way to make it permanent?

[karlchen]

Well, it works but I must enter nomodeset xforcevesa each time I boot. I suppose there is no way to make it permanent?

You bet there is.
Check out the file /etc/default/grub.
Add nomodeset xforcevesa to this line GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash" resulting in this line

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GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nomodeset xforcevesa"

Finally tell grub to refresh its (permanent) configuration by executing

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sudo update-grub

[Pjotr]

But isn't xforcevesa just an emergency measure, meant for temporary use, in order to allow you to install a better driver?

[karlchen]

Valid point, Pjotr.

[ladyonthemoon]

But isn't xforcevesa just an emergency measure, meant for temporary use, in order to allow you to install a better driver?

Valid point, Pjotr.

Exactly, it's something that occurred to me after I posted my previous comment. I need to fix my drivers problem but I'm afraid there is no solution. I'm posting from W7 right now; my hardware is:

• - Processor: AMD A10-5750M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics (4 CPUs), ~2.5GHz
  - Cards: AMD Radeon HD 8650G and AMD Radeon HD 7970M

[Pjotr]

@ladyonthemoon: please generate an overview of your system like this:
- Launch a terminal window (this is how to launch a terminal window);
- make the terminal window full screen, to avoid chopped lines;
- copy/paste this command into the terminal:

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inxi -Fxz

(if you type: the letter F is a capital letter)

Press Enter.

Copy/paste the output in your next message.

[ladyonthemoon]

- copy/paste this command into the terminal:

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inxi -Fxz

Copy/paste the output in your next message.

Here it is:

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anne@GX60-LinuxMint ~ $ inxi -Fxz
System:    Host: GX60-LinuxMint Kernel: 4.4.0-36-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
           Desktop: Cinnamon 3.0.7 (Gtk 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.1)
           Distro: Linux Mint 18 Sarah
Machine:   System: Micro-Star product: GX60 1AC/GX60 3AE v: E16FKAMS.D06
           Mobo: Micro-Star model: MS-16FK v: Ver 1.000
           Bios: American Megatrends v: E16FKAMS.D06 date: 03/05/2013
CPU:       Quad core AMD A10-5750M APU with Radeon HD Graphics (-MCP-) cache: 8192 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm) bmips: 19963
           clock speeds: max: 2500 MHz 1: 1400 MHz 2: 1400 MHz 3: 2100 MHz
           4: 1400 MHz
Graphics:  Card-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Richland [Radeon HD 8650G]
           bus-ID: 00:01.0
           Card-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Wimbledon XT [Radeon HD 7970M]
           bus-ID: 01:00.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.3 driver: vesa
           Resolution: 1920x1080@0.00hz
           GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LLVM 3.8, 128 bits)
           GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 11.2.0 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card-1 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] FCH Azalia Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:14.2
           Card-2 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Trinity HDMI Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:01.1
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.4.0-36-generic
Network:   Card-1: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E220x Gigabit Ethernet Controller
           driver: alx port: d000 bus-ID: 03:00.0
           IF: enp3s0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Qualcomm Atheros AR9485 Wireless Network Adapter
           driver: ath9k bus-ID: 04:00.0
           IF: wlp4s0 state: down mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 1570.3GB (22.3% used)
           ID-1: USB /dev/sda model: Portable_SSD_T1 size: 250.1GB
           ID-2: /dev/sdb model: Hitachi_HTS54505 size: 500.1GB
           ID-3: USB /dev/sdc model: Elements_1023 size: 500.1GB
           ID-4: USB /dev/sdd model: 3200BMV_External size: 320.1GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 48G used: 6.2G (14%) fs: ext2 dev: /dev/sdb2
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 58.8C mobo: N/A
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 216 Uptime: 4 min Memory: 1058.8/3136.1MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 5.4.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.421) inxi: 2.2.35 
anne@GX60-LinuxMint ~ $ 

[ladyonthemoon]

Could someone explain to me what adding "nomodeset xforcevesa" does exactly? Thank you!

[Pjotr]

@ladyonthemoon: I can't see an easy solution for you.... You already have the latest kernel, which contains the "right" drivers for your graphics card. If those don't work well for you, then I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the next kernel and try that one.

In this particular case (machine from 2013) you might even try whether an older kernel series (3.13.x) works better for you. Install the older Mint 17.1 for that, because then you'll have that kernel. First try the DVD session of 17.1 ("try without installing"). Mint 17.x is supported until May, 2019.

[ladyonthemoon]

@ladyonthemoon: ... In this particular case (machine from 2013) you might even try whether an older kernel series (3.13.x) works better for you. Install the older Mint 17.1 for that, ...

Thanks for the advice! 17.1 not 17.3?

[Pjotr]

@ladyonthemoon: ... In this particular case (machine from 2013) you might even try whether an older kernel series (3.13.x) works better for you. Install the older Mint 17.1 for that, ...

Thanks for the advice! 17.1 not 17.3?

No. 17.3 has by default the 3.19.x kernel, which isn't an LTS kernel.

I recommend the lightweight Xfce edition of 17.1, which is better for your graphics card:
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... intxfceold

[ladyonthemoon]

After investigation, it appears that the graphics cards use the driver "vesa" instead of the driver "radeon". Vesa doesn't provide acceleration and Radeon is there for AMD cards so, I suppose that it provides acceleration. How can I simply switch to radeon; would removing vesa be enough?

[karlchen]

Ladyonthemoon,
this is what Pjotr had in mind when he said the startup parameters nomodeset xforcevesa were not meant for permanent use.
Guess what the parameter xforcevesa does: force the graphics card to run in vesa mode.
So it should only be used as long as is needed to get the correct driver software installed. - Problem is if the installed driver AMD Radeon software does not work properly. Then you are in a plight. Seems you are.
Karl

[ladyonthemoon]

...Then you are in a plight. Seems you are.

So it looks. I'm burning an OpenSuSe image right now, hoping it will install; if it does I'll be able to install the proprietary drivers I need for my cards.

[Stel]

I have the same problem with LM 18 KDE 64bit. I need to add nomodeset xforcevesa to boot. But in linux mint KDE 17.3 i have linux kernel 4.4 installed without any issues.

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System:    Host: LinuxMintSSD Kernel: 4.4.0-36-generic x86_64 (64 bit) Desktop: KDE Plasma 4.14.2
           Distro: Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa
Machine:   System: Gigabyte product: N/A
           Mobo: Gigabyte model: 970A-UD3P v: x.x Bios: American Megatrends v: FC date: 02/26/2016
CPU:       Octa core AMD FX-8320 Eight-Core (-MCP-) cache: 16384 KB 
           clock speeds: max: 3500 MHz 1: 1400 MHz 2: 3500 MHz 3: 1400 MHz 4: 1400 MHz 5: 1700 MHz
           6: 1400 MHz 7: 1700 MHz 8: 1400 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Curacao PRO [Radeon R7 370 / R9 270/370 OEM]
           Display Server: X.Org 1.17.1 drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 2560x1440@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on AMD PITCAIRN GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 10.5.9

So this can't be a kernel issue and it doesn't concern only APU cards. The title of the thread is not entirely correct.

[papamint]

I too had problems with a laptop with AMD Radeon on LinuxMint 18 64 bit. I installed kernel 4.4-0 31 and it solved the problem.

[Stel]

I too had problems with a laptop with AMD Radeon on LinuxMint 18 64 bit. I installed kernel 4.4-0 31 and it solved the problem.

Which amd card do you have? kernel 4.4-0 31 doesn't work for me. And, as i said, i use 4.4.0-36 with Linux Mint 17.3 and everything is fine. The same kernel with Linux Mint 18 forces me to use nomodeset xforcevesa in order to boot my computer.

[papamint]

Radeon HD 7640G